The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the voice of the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments, is pleased to announce the 2022 Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Operational Readiness Awards. These awards, made possible through a cooperative agreement with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response’s Medical Reserve Corps Program Office, will build the operational readiness capabilities of MRC units to meet the emergency preparedness and response needs of local, regional, and statewide stakeholders. More than $1 million in awards will support 129 units to build MRC response capabilities (Tier 1) or strengthen MRC response capabilities (Tier 2).
The MRC is a national network of volunteers, organized locally to improve the health and safety of their communities. The MRC network comprises approximately 200,000 volunteers in roughly 800 community-based units located throughout the United States and its territories. According to the 2020 Network Profile of the Medical Reserve Corps, Operational Readiness Awards were the largest funding source for 29% of units that year.
During the 2020 COVID-19 response, MRC volunteers contributed approximately 840,000 hours of service, resulting in a workforce savings of nearly $24 million. Currently, the MRC reports approximately 3 million volunteer hours to support COVID-19 local response efforts, and the numbers continue to grow.
- Tier 1 Awards ($5,000) – Build MRC Response Capabilities: Provides funding for units to build capabilities to meet local response needs. This funding may support units that are smaller in size, have a specific/targeted need, a newly formed unit, or a unit that is focused on rebuilding their MRC unit if previously inactive or underutilized.
- Tier 2 Awards ($10,000) – Strengthen MRC Response Capabilities: Provides funding for units to strengthen current capabilities for evolving response missions. This funding is intended for units that have an established volunteer management structure, have the capacity to further expand their unit response capabilities, have a demonstrated record of supporting public health emergency responses, or have a record of supporting multiple natural disaster response missions.
2022 MRC Operational Readiness Awards by State
Tier 1 Awards – $5,000
Arkansas – Marion County MRC
California – Stanislaus County MRC
Colorado – MRC of El Paso County
Illinois – Douglas County MRC, McDonough County MRC, McHenry County MRC, St. Clair County MRC
Kentucky – Hopkins-Muhlenberg MRC, Three Rivers District MRC
Louisiana – Jefferson Parish MRC
Massachusetts – Greater Fall River MRC, Greater New Bedford MRC, Greater Taunton MRC, Middleboro Area MRC, Mystic Valley MRC, North-Shore Cape Ann Emergency Preparedness Coalition MRC, Northern Essex County MRC
Missouri – Northeast Missouri (NEMO) MRC
Nebraska – Eastern Nebraska MRC
New Jersey – Morris County MRC
New Mexico – Southern New Mexico MRC
New York – Putnam County MRC, Schuyler County MRC, Sullivan County MRC
North Carolina – North Carolina Baptist Men MRC Central Region, Onslow County MRC
Ohio – Fairfield County MRC, Hocking County MRC, Paulding County MRC, Pickaway County MRC Unit, Pike County MRC, Preble County MRC, Wood County MRC
Oklahoma – Oklahoma MRC Nurses, OKMRC Stress Response Team
Oregon – Cannon Beach MRC
Texas – Montgomery County MRC
Utah – Bear River MRC – Box Elder County, Bear River MRC – Cache County, Bear River MRC – Rich County, Central Utah MRC, Summit County Utah MRC
Washington – Skagit County MRC
Tier 2 Awards – $10,000
Alabama – North Alabama MRC
Arizona – Animals and Humans in Disaster, Maricopa County Public Health MRC
Arkansas – River City Ministry of Pulaski County MRC
California – Berkeley MRC, California Health MRC, California Veterinary MRC, Marin County MRC, Sacramento MRC, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s MRC, Ventura County MRC
Colorado – Colorado Veterinary MRC, SW Colorado MRC
Connecticut – Capitol Region MRC (CR-MRC), Naugatuck Valley MRC, Pomperaug Health District MRC, Shoreline MRC
Florida – Martin County MRC, Nassau MRC
Illinois – Kane County MRC, LaSalle County MRC
Louisiana – New Orleans MRC
Maryland – Howard County MRC, Maryland Responds MRC, Prince George’s County Health Department MRC
Massachusetts – Berkshire MRC, Duxbury Bay Area Regional MRC, Franklin MRC, Massachusetts Task Force, Upper Merrimack Valley MRC, Wachusett MRC
Missouri – Bollinger County MRC, MRC of Greater Kansas City (MRCKC), Pettis County MRC, Pleasant Hill MRC, Schuyler County MRC
Nebraska – Central Nebraska MRC, West Central Nebraska MRC
New Hampshire – Lakes Region MRC
New Jersey – Mercer County MRC, Middlesex County MRC
North Carolina – Capital MRC
Ohio – Delaware County MRC, Franklin County and Columbus MRC, Fulton County MRC, Greene County MRC, Hancock County MRC, Lake County MRC, Lorain County MRC, Portage County MRC, Union County MRC
Oklahoma – Oklahoma Region 6 – Cleveland County MRC, OKMRC – Tulsa County MRC, OKMRC District 1 MRC – Northwest OK, OKMRC District 2 MRC, OKMRC District 8 MRC, OKMRC Oklahoma County MRC, OKMRC Statewide MRC
Oregon – Eastern Oregon Regional MRC, Linn County MRC
Pennsylvania – South Central PA MRC
Tennessee – Northeast TN Regional MRC
Texas – Brazoria County MRC, Brown County MRC, Dallas County MRC, Fort Bend County MRC, Galveston County MRC, Harris County MRC, Tarrant County MRC, University of Texas MRC, Williamson County (WilCo) MRC
Utah – Morgan County MRC, Utah County MRC, Weber County MRC
Virginia – Loudoun MRC, Near Southwest MRC, Norfolk MRC, Southwest MRC, Three Rivers MRC
Washington – Bainbridge Island MRC, Kitsap County MRC, MRC Island County, Pierce County MRC, Snohomish County MRC, Vashon Island MRC
West Virginia – Mid-Ohio Valley MRC